Love's Raging Passion
by JosephineLL
Summary: The previously heart-whole manly Chief Engineer gets his world turned upside down by a mere slip of a Linguist. Star Trek meets Harlequin Romance


Title: Love's Raging Passion  
  
Author: Josephine  
  
Email: Lovellama@aol.com  
  
Rating: R  
  
Genre: Bodice Busting Romance  
  
Characters: T/S, A  
  
Summary: The previously heart-whole Chief Engineer gets his world turned upside down by a mere slip of a woman.  
  
Notes: WARNING!!! This is supposed to be GOD AWFUL. So you can congratulate me that it is, just don't complain that it is. Still not sure if it is.  
  
Disclaimer: Paramount owns the Trek dance hall; I like to call the steps once in awhile.  
  
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"Almost ready t' go, Cap'n." The honeyed, molasses-slow southern drawl of the Enterprise's Chief Engineer filled the corridor, bringing to mind warm lazy afternoons spent in a rocker on the front porch, sipping sweet tea or mint juleps, watching the Spanish moss grow on the old live oaks that your great-great-great-grandpappy planted in the front yard when he first arrived from the Old World.  
  
Captain Jonathan Archer grinned at his best friend. Although technically in command, he relied heavily on Charles 'Trip' Tucker for advice, from the state of Enterprise's amazing warp five engines to more personal venues. Trip was known as a ladies' man, and had helped Jon out on more occasions than the female-shy captain liked to admit. Although now that Jon thought about it, Trip really hadn't been in that many relationships. There was Ruby, and Natalie, and who was that other girl? Oh well, it would come to him.  
  
"Just waiting on our Communications Officer. Hoshi wanted to leave at the last minute. I nearly had to tear her away from her class." Jon chuckled at the memory.  
  
"Hoshi, huh? How come ya never mentioned her t' me?" Trip nudged Jon in the ribs, the easy bond between the two men apparent.  
  
"She's an old friend, Trip. Nothing more." Jon dodged another nudge.  
  
"Mmm hmm. Ah've heard that one afore." Trip and Jon walked to the shuttle bay, their long strides getting them to the outer room just in time to see the shuttle be drawn up into Enterprise like a joey diving into its mother's pouch. "Well, here she be, Johnny."  
  
Trip raised an appreciative eyebrow as a slim figure with glossy black hair emerged from the shuttle. As the woman raised her head she caught sight of Jon, and a smile of pure delight crossed her Madonna like face.  
  
"Jon!" Swiftly, gracefully, she climbed the ladder out of the shuttle, inadvertently offering tantalizing glimpses of svelte legs as her skirt swirled around her.  
  
A stunned Trip could only stare at the vision before him. Jest like Aphrodite comin' outa th' ocean .  
  
He watched, not realizing he was gawking as she threw herself at Jon and he gave her a bear hug. For the first time that he ever knew of, Trip was envious of someone else. He would have given anything to change places with his Captain right at that moment.  
  
"Hi Hoshi!" Jon returned the smile, obviously pleased to see her. He turned Hoshi toward Trip, but instead of releasing her, Jon kept her within the circle of his arm.  
  
Jealousy suddenly appeared in the rugged Southerner; it quickly put roots down and began to grow, twisting its thorny vines into his heart. Hoshi . Jon's Hoshi . was beautiful. No, not beautiful: She was stunning, gorgeous. Her raven hair held the slightest hint of a wave, framing a perfectly proportioned face with porcelain-smooth, peaches and cream skin. Her almond shaped eyes were so dark he couldn't tell where the iris ended and the pupil began, and were surrounded by thick, sooty lashes. A button nose was perched over a mouth with lips so red and luscious Trip could feel his own mouth water with the wonderment of what they tasted like. Her neck was long and graceful, like a swan's, her bosom was high and full, tapering down to a slender waist and flaring out to the sweet swell of her hips. And those legs . she was shorter than Trip, but those slim legs seemed to go on forever.  
  
"Trip!" Coming back from his trance, Trip realized Jon was talking to him. "I'd like to introduce Hoshi Sato, our Communications Officer. Hoshi, this is Trip Tucker, the Chief Engineer."  
  
Hoshi extended her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Commander."  
  
Her voice was a melody, smooth as a woodland stream and just as lovely to hear. Trip let it wash over him, taking the offered appendage. Her hand was cool and small in his, he felt like an oversized lout next to her. Her handshake was firm, and the smile she gave him . Trip fell into another trace looking at Hoshi, and grinned stupidly as she laughed; a rich sound full of joy.  
  
"May I have my hand back, Commander?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, sure. Sorry. M' fault." Trip followed Hoshi's dark eyes as they looked down to where he still held on to her, as if she was a lifeline. He quickly let go like he had been burned. Which he had, if he had only known it. Hoshi Sato had burned herself onto his soul.  
  
"Ah gotta go." Without another word Trip turned smartly on his heel and strode out of the shuttle bay, his face aflame with humiliation.  
  
"That was . interesting." Hoshi looked up at Jon, who was staring at the bay doors with a frown.  
  
"It was. I've never seen Trip that gauche before. Usually he's quite urbane around women."  
  
"Really?" Hoshi tried to seem unconcerned and disinterested in the Chief Engineer, but inside her hope had begun to grow, blossoming with the possibilities of what the future held.  
  
She had seen the vague but imposing form standing next to Jon through the shuttle windows; when she had finally turned to meet him her breath had caught in her throat. Brilliant blue eyes pinned her own, a curl of light brown hair fell over his forehead, and she longed to smooth it back. A firm jaw, broad shoulders, narrow waist and hips, and strong legs all combined to make the most virile man Hoshi had ever seen. She held out an amazingly steady hand that didn't reflect the inner turmoil roiling in her. She had said something, cringing at the breathless quality of her voice. Like a green girl .  
  
Hoshi realized she and Jon had walked all the way to her cabin without her noticing. She must have responded to him convincingly, as he left her with a 'See you tomorrow.'  
  
Yawning delicately, Hoshi changed into her nightgown and climbed into bed. She stretched luxuriously, her lithe form extended, wondering what Trip was doing; then promptly fell into a deep, relaxing sleep, visions of the handsome Engineer running through her head.  
  
Trip was leaning against the warp core, trying to gain some sense of peace and calm from the familiar thrum of the engine. But what normally worked wonders did nothing that night, as a pair of brown eyes and a red, laughing mouth kept interrupting his thoughts. The expressive eyes soon turned cloudy with desire, the lush mouth begging for his touch, his kisses. His body responded to the stimulus as in his fevered mind Trip crushed Hoshi to him, her hands twining in his hair, tugging him closer as his hands roamed over her; the swell of a breast, the curve of her hips. He placed his hands under her bottom, pulling her closer; she moaned as his all too obvious desire for her rubbed against the silk of her negligee. Hoshi cried out his name as his mouth trailed hot, burning kisses down the smooth column of her throat, and Trip clenched his hands into fists against the pulsing warp core as his hard body eagerly completed what his mind had started. Grabbing a clipboard to hide his indiscretion, Trip made it to his cabin without meeting anyone.  
  
Cleaning up, he caught sight of himself in the mirror. He didn't see the handsome Engineer that had innocently left a trail of broken hearts wherever he had gone, starting at the tender age of fourteen. He didn't see the sculpted body that countless women had ached to run their hands over. Neither did he see the charming personality, the witty humor, the razor sharp mind that made him popular with both women and men. He just saw a wretched creature that could use a beautiful goddess like Hoshi Sato for his own pleasure. With a disgusted sound he turned, deciding to walk the ship one last time before launch tomorrow.  
  
Wandering the long, empty, gunmetal gray corridors, Trip kept an experienced eye out for anything out of place. But so in tune to his ship was he that part of his mind began to wander, finding itself thinking of Hoshi again. Trip tried to think of something else, anything else, but the knowledge that Hoshi was in her bunk, in her nightgown, caused Trip's blood to pound. Suddenly he stopped short. What if she doesn't wear an'thin' t' bed? Slamming his formidable fist into the bulkhead Trip tried desperately, valiantly, to rid the image of Hoshi nude in her bunk beckoning to him from his treacherous mind.  
  
Succeeding only for the moment by rebuilding a warp core in his head, Trip made his way back to his cabin. His steps unwittingly slowed as he came near a certain door; looking up he recognized that it was Hoshi's. Stepping close, he laid his aching hand on the cool metal door, resting his brow next to it. Closing his eyes, he finally let himself think of Hoshi, lying just a few meters from him, yet separated by kilometers. A soft sound came to him, and he listened, trying to make out what it was.  
  
Hoshi was dreaming. Of Jon? The barbed vines of jealously twisted harder, digging into his heart and soul. The pleasured sounds came stronger now; was he actually with her? Once more Trip's strong hands clenched into fists of rage.  
  
He had just stood up, resigned to the inevitable, being in love with his best friend's girlfriend, when the door suddenly opened in front of him.  
  
With a gasp, Hoshi met his self-mocking eyes, a hand fluttering to her creamy white breasts, the swell just visible under the sheer white lawn of her nightgown.  
  
"I . I thought I heard a noise." Her dark brown eyes were large in her pale face.  
  
"Jest wanted t' make sure y' were ok." His voice rough, Trip wanted to curse his lack of finesse. He didn't doubt she would take a disgust of him.  
  
"I'm fine now, Commander." A delicate blush stole over her cheeks, tingeing them with the faintest of rose.  
  
"Call me Trip. Ah heard yer voice, wasn't sure if y' needed somethin'." Trip couldn't take his eyes from her mouth, the way her even white teeth nibbled on the full lower lip.  
  
"I was dreaming . Trip." The color in her cheeks deepened, highlighting her fine bone structure.  
  
Of Jon? Jealousy twisted again in the noble Engineer, ripping his heart to shreds, but willing to step aside for his best friend, even though it tore at his very soul. He made his sapphire blue orbs look into her bottomless topaz brown ones, and knew in an instant she wasn't dreaming of Jon.  
  
"Hoshi?" His voice came out on a whisper, filled with all the longing and yearning and desire and want and yearning and need and hunger and want and did I say yearning he felt for her. His strong, capable hand reached up and caressed her soft cheek, the rough calluses catching on the smooth silk of her skin, his thumb hovering over her delectable mouth.  
  
Her small delicately boned hand came up to cover his, her wide chocolate brown eyes never leaving his blueberry blue ones. Slowly she backed up, pulling him into her small cabin, which thankfully she didn't share with anyone, even though she was just an ensign, because she was the Communications Officer and an alpha bridge crewmember. With a gentle sigh that echoed the relief in Trip, the door closed behind them.  
  
Trip's usual aplomb had vanished, leaving him as unsure what to do as his best friend Jon was when put in a situation like this. Or so he imagined, knowing Jon he was never even remotely put in a situation like this.  
  
Sensing his hesitancy, Hoshi's tongue peeked out and ran up along the pad of Trip's thumb. Emboldened by his inward hiss of desire, Hoshi drew the entire thumb in and gently sucked on it, her tree bark brown eyes holding his sky blue ones. With a cry borne of passion conceded, Trip pulled the pliant form of Hoshi to him, molding her soft curves to his hard planes. Their mouths met in a kiss sweeter than they had ever known, his hands wrapping around her slender waist, her hands gripping broad shoulders.  
  
Breaking apart, panting for breath, coffee brown eyes met curacao blue ones.  
  
"Hoshi . Ah want ya . Ah need ya . but not fer a one night stand, nor even an affair. Others kin, an' will, tell ya Ah'm a ladies' man, but Ah'm a one lady's man. When Ah'm with someone, Ah'm with them, ain't no others. Ah don't enter relationships lightly, ask Jon if ya have any doubts. Ya got under m' skin, Hoshi Sato, an Ah've got t' get t' know ya better. . Ah'll leave now, Ah don't want t' pressure ya int' anything ya don't want." Trip slowly stepped away from Hoshi, although his body cried out at the separation. It already missed her warmth, her softness pressed against it. The only parts of them touching were their hands, which for some reason refused to let go. Trip looked down, the typically self-assured Engineer afraid of the answer to his next question. "Kin Ah have supper w' ya tomorra?"  
  
Slim pale hands gently pressed work roughened ones. Smiling nut-brown eyes met cornflower blue. "Would you think me forward if I suggested you stay for breakfast?"  
  
Their coming together was like nothing that had ever been seen before, Trip's reverence mixed with his desire for her left Hoshi breathless with wonder and amazement. She met him in kind, both humbled by the love and trust they found in the other.  
  
Trip tasted salt as he kissed Hoshi's face, holding her trembling body close as the waves of passion ebbed from their glistening bodies. "Tears?" he asked, concern creasing his handsome face.  
  
"Of joy," she whispered back, giving herself over forever to the gift of love this incredible man had given her. 


End file.
